Rook walks me out the back door of the clubhouse, toward the Huron River. The fresh air helps clear my nausea and headache. I crash down on a bench on the water’s edge with another moan. My eyes fall closed while Rook texts Alpha Toth. “Are you okay? Do I need to get you help or anything?”
“No.” I grunt. “It’ll pass. Just give me a couple minutes.”
“Alpha Toth is on his way.”
We sit in silence a couple more minutes, until Alpha Toth’s gruff voice says, “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”
“I’m good,” I promise. “It’s passing already.”
“What is it?”
“My body’s natural reaction to sucking up psychic imprints. It’s a bitch, but we got what we needed. Sneaky McSneakerson is our guy. I just watched him skim one hundred bucks from every different pack account you have and deposit it into one personal account.”
Alpha Toth growls. “That fits.”
“Fits what?”
“The money’s been disappearing in such small amounts, it took us almost a year to notice.”
“A year? That’s a nice little chunk of money, then.”
“The money’s not the issue. He’s been robbing the pack for a year. He’s going to pay.”
“They,” I say. “I’m assuming he has an accomplice. He got that key from somewhere, and he was relieved when it worked…like he was nervous it wouldn’t. Then he got the password to Holly’s computer from somewhere—had it written down on a piece of paper. The personal account number, too. And overall, he was just too nervous to be the brains behind this scheme. My guess is this was the first time he’s had to be the one moving the funds. He’s got someone helping him. It could be Holly, but I wouldn’t know unless spending some time with one or the other, or both of them. Though, I doubt it’s her, considering she’s polishing the filing cabinets with a different man.”
When I quit talking, I wait for a reply but am met with silence. I open my eyes and rub my temples. “What?”
“What do you mean, you could get more if you spent time with them?” Rook asks.
I blush. I don’t want to tell them I can read minds. Them knowing about the visions is bad enough, but mind reading makes people really uneasy. No one ever trusts a mind reader. “I can pick some things up from people, too, not just objects. But it has to be skin-to-skin contact, which could be hard to do if we’re going for discreet.”
Rook and the alpha share a look. “The pack social?” Rook asks.
Alpha Toth nods. “Could be hard to get her there without raising suspicion, though.”
Rook shakes his head. “She saved Maya. She could be an honored guest.”
“Oh, yes, that’ll work perfectly.”
I’m falling behind. “What will work? Honored guest at a what?”
They ignore me, of course. Alpha Toth nods, as if everything is settled. “You’ll have to keep a close eye on her, but make sure you aren’t stepping on your brother’s toes. I know what she said, but she got him here for the first time in thirty years.”
My brain stalls at that. “Thirty years!” I cry. “He said it’s been a few, but thirty?”
Rook sighs. “Werewolves live a long time. Thirty years isn’t as long to us as it is to you. Still, it’s a long time to go without a pack. You accomplished something big, Nora. I didn’t think anything would ever bring Wulf back.”
I’m stunned, but I feel awful at the same time. Why did Wulf agree to come here after so long? Was it my whacked out allure that had him jumping through hoops for me? I don’t get it, but he and I are going to have a long chat. “Oh, that little liar,” I grumble, getting to my feet. I’m ready to stalk back into the gym despite my headache and upset stomach. “Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to go kill myself a Wulf.”
I get one good stomp in before Rook grips me by the shoulder. “Hang on there, little lady. Wait until you’re well away from the compound to lay into him, huh?” He chuckles. “Coming here was hard enough for him. He doesn’t need the humiliation of getting disciplined by a human female on top of it.”
All of my anger deflates, and I’m back to feeling guilty. I just don’t get why he’d make the exception for me. I didn’t even have to push. It was his idea to come here. “Fine. It can wait.” I won’t really do it now, though. I’ll probably just ask him about it nicely. “So, what is this social you guys were talking about?”
“Our monthly pack social is next weekend,” Alpha Toth says, puffing up his chest and smiling proudly. “It’s a dance.”
“And a dinner,” Rook adds. “Usually a cookout with a big bonfire. It’s a hell of a party.”
“Would a dance work for you?” Alpha Toth looks at me.
It takes me a moment to understand what he’s asking. “Oh!” I said I needed reasons for skin-to-skin contact. “Actually, yes, your social sounds perfect, as long as our thief shows up.”
“Oh, he will,” Rook promises.
“The monthly socials are mandatory,” Alpha Toth adds.
Huh. “A mandatory monthly party? Wow. Pack life sounds interesting.”
Rook laughs and places a hand at the small of my back, urging me toward the clubhouse. “It’s a blast, most of the time. No better life than that of a werewolf in a stable pack.”
“That’s why it’s so important we find these thieves and stop them quietly,” Alpha Toth mutters, walking up the path behind us.
“No problem,” I say. “I already know who one of them is. Pointing him out and finding the other next weekend shouldn’t be too hard. Seems like an open-and-shut case.”
“I hope you’re right, Miss Jacobs. I really—”
He stops talking to frown at a text, and then he sighs. After the dark look he gives Rook, I know I’m missing something important again. I look to Rook for the answer. He echoes Alpha Toth’s sigh. “Jeffrey’s challenged Wulf.”
Challenged? I don’t like the sound of that. “Who’s Jeffrey?”
“Jeffrey Bean is my second-in-command, my beta,” Alpha Toth explains in a tired voice.
He picks up the pace a little, and Rook grabs my hand, dragging me through the clubhouse. I’m surprised by his thoughts. He’s not worried about his brother getting hurt, but he is worried about his brother killing the pack’s beta. He’ll never be allowed back again if he does that. Not that he’ll want to come back after this. Rook’s angry—no, he’s furious—at Jeffrey. Jeffrey’s too hotheaded. This dumb power play was completely unnecessary, and all it’s going to do is complicate something that didn’t need to be difficult.
We hurry out the front doors of the clubhouse to find a ring of people crowded around two wolves on the front lawn. I gasp, unprepared for the sight. The fight looks so vicious.
The two wolves are huge, and they’re snarling and drooling everywhere as they circle and pounce on each other. Both of them are showing red, but one wolf is a lot bloodier than the other.
The people standing around aren’t cheering or screaming or stepping in to help. They’re simply looking on with fascination and morbid curiosity. It’s a very controlled, if one-sided, fight. Still, Rook puts his arm around me and pulls me tightly to his side in a protective manner, and it’s clear he’s not going to let me go until he hands me over to his brother. Thank heavens Wulf didn’t make me take my T-shirt off to train today. I’m totally gross after my workout, but at least I’m not hearing Rook’s thoughts.
The bloody wolf gets a good slice of his claws into the side of the bigger wolf. The bigger wolf howls, and the air in the fight shifts. The bigger wolf has just been putting up with his attacker thus far, but he’s done messing around now. He bucks the bloodier wolf away and waits. The second the smaller wolf lunges again, the big wolf dodges the strike and goes for the kill. He grabs the smaller wolf by the throat and slams him to the ground. He doesn’t let go of his hold. The smaller wolf is beaten, but he’s refusing to submit, so the larger wolf pinches his throat a little harder. He’ll kill the smaller one if he doesn’t let go soon.
“Enough!” Alpha Toth’s voice booms across the scene. “Jeffrey, you’re beaten. And you’re an idiot for picking that fight. Both of you, change back. Now.”
I barely have time to register what he means by “change back” before the bigger wolf lets go of the smaller one and the wolves morph into men. Wulf and a short, stocky blond are both standing butt naked in the middle of the circle. Both are bloody, though Jeffrey is a mess and Wulf only has four long gouges in his side.
I can’t look away, and it’s totally not the blood I’m looking at. I feel bad for perving, but Wulf is beautiful in all his natural glory. I don’t breathe, or even blink, until someone hands Wulf his jeans and Rook quietly clears his throat beside me. My face flames, and I glare at a smiling Rook. “I’ve never seen a wolf change before.”
“You look like you’ve never seen a naked man before,” he teases.
I roll my eyes, but my gaze drifts back to Wulf. “I haven’t seen one like him before,” I admit. I was caught staring. May as well own it. It’s not like Wulf isn’t drool worthy.
Rook chuckles.
When the two fighters are dressed from the waist down, the circle of spectators opens to let Alpha Toth, Rook, and myself through. Rook still has his arm tightly around me, as if he expects someone to challenge me next. The way some of the people are gaping at us, and especially some of the females are glaring, I wonder if that’s a possibility.
Alpha Toth steps forward, and though he talks directly to Wulf and Jeffrey, he’s speaking to the entire group. “Wulf, you have won the challenge. The position of my new beta is yours.”
The group looks as if they expected this, but Wulf sighs and Jeffrey snarls. “But, sir! He’s not even pack! He shouldn’t have been here!”
“You lost the challenge!” Alpha Toth snaps. I think he’s throwing some alpha mojo around now, too, because people are squirming and my heart is hammering in my chest in a way it wasn’t before. “You know pack law. Wulf has always been welcome to join this pack, and the spot of beta is rightfully his now. You shouldn’t have challenged him.”
“I respectfully decline the position,” Wulf says calmly.
Alpha Toth frowns, disappointed, but not the least bit surprised. “You won the challenge, Wulf. The position is yours automatically.”
Wulf groans, as if he’s being inconvenienced in the worst possible way. “I have no interest in being a pack beta.”
“Then you shouldn’t have fought—”
“I had no choice. The asshole jumped me without warning.”
Alpha Toth’s jaw clenches, and he glares at Jeffrey. Jeffrey glares back, standing proud and puffing up his chest. “He’s not pack! He wasn’t supposed to be here.”
Alpha Toth sighs and throws a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. “He had permission,” he says tiredly. “He was bringing someone dear to our pack to visit.” He removes his hand from his face and waves it my direction. “Everyone, meet Nora Jacobs, the brave human who rescued Maya and the others last month.”
The crowd gasps and erupts into cheers, clapping and whistling for me. I’m a bit shocked by the reception, and flash an awkward wave.
“I had hoped to introduce her as an honored guest at the pack social next weekend, but now that we’ve bloodied her escort, I’m not sure she’ll want to come.”
“A little fight isn’t going to scare her off,” calls a familiar voice.
I scan the crowd for the face I know is out there, and grin when I spot it. “Hey, Maya.”
“Hey, girl!” Maya flashes me a wolfish grin. She looks a lot healthier than the last time I saw her. I almost don’t recognize her. “Welcome to the compound. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too.”
“You’re still going to come to the social, right?”
“Sure. Sounds like a hell of a party. I’m not so sure Wulf will want to come now, though.”
Maya grins, but this time she’s looking at Wulf. She slings her arm over his shoulder and says to me, “He’ll have to. It’s mandatory for the pack. They’ll introduce him officially as our new beta. There’s a little ceremony for it and everything.”
“No!” Wulf groans again. “No ceremony. I’m not joining the pack. I have no desire to be anyone’s beta.” He casts Alpha Toth a serious gaze and adds, “Or anyone’s alpha. Which is what my wolf would demand, if I rejoined.”
The crowd gasps, and Alpha Toth stiffens. “Is that a challenge?” he growls. I’m surprised he’s so angry. I got the impression he really liked Wulf.
“No! It’s not a damn challenge. I hate werewolf politics. GAH.” Wolf fists his hair with both hands as he groans at the sky. “You see?” he says to me. “This is why I never come back. I’m a lone wolf, Nora. I’d be a crappy leader, only my wolf is too dominant to be anything but.” He gives Alpha Toth what is meant to be a pleading expression. “I’m sorry. I have to decline the position of beta. I mean no disrespect, but I can’t join your pack. I only came today because Nora needs training.”
Alpha Toth looks at me, then back at Wulf, before sighing helplessly. “I’m sorry, friend. Your cause is noble, but we can’t have a lone wolf in pack territory. It’ll cause too many problems within the pack. Thank you for introducing me to Nora, but I’m afraid if you don’t join, you can’t be allowed back.”
My heart sinks. I understand where Alpha Toth is coming from—we’ve been here an hour, and Wulf’s already been in a fight with the pack’s beta—but I’m still disappointed. Wulf, on the other hand, is beaming. “That’s okay,” he says, smiling bigger than I’ve ever seen him. He nods his head toward his brother. “Rook can train her.”
“What?” I shout. “You’re passing me off after one lesson?”
“I won’t, if you don’t want me to,” he says, still grinning, “but the only other place I have to work with you is my place, and we’d be alone there, which I know you don’t want.” I blush, because he’s right, but I didn’t need the whole pack hearing that and assuming things. “Besides,” he continues, “Rook is much better at fighting in human form than me. I’m more of a go-at-it-on-all-fours kind of guy.”
“I noticed,” I say flatly. “Fine. But did you even ask Rook? Are you sure he would even want to help me?”
“Oh, he doesn’t mind. Do you, big brother?”
When he grins at Rook, it’s so devious I almost laugh. I don’t know why, but he did this on purpose. He wanted Rook to teach me from the start. Rook knows it, too, and though he’s both shocked and annoyed, he’s also trying not to laugh. “That’s what you’re up to?” Rook asks, shaking his head. “Thirty years? You don’t come home for thirty years, and when you do, it’s to bring me a girl?”
My mouth falls open. No freaking way. This is about me? And his brother? Like, as in, together?
“Nora’s not just a girl,” Wulf says. He winks at me and adds, “And I’m right, anyway, aren’t I? I mean, you stole her from me like five minutes after I got here, and you still haven’t let her go.”
He means that literally, because Rook’s arm is still around me. I know he was only protecting me during the fight, but now it looks like he’s holding me, or staking a claim on me. My eyes bulge, and I scramble out of Rook’s grip. “You were setting me up?” I shout at Wulf. “Are you freaking kidding me? You brought me here to set me up?”
The crowd laughs, making my cheeks flame again. I glare at Wulf, but he doesn’t look the least bit repentant. In fact, when he shrugs at me, it’s the cockiest I’ve ever seen him. “You’d be good for each other, since you both refuse to date.”
Rook’s head whips in my direction. His brows are raised in a question. “It’s true,” I tell him. “I don’t date.”
“Neither does Rook,” Wulf promises. “So just give the friends thing a try for a while. Let him train you, Nora. Talk. Hang out.” He steps closer to me and lowers his voice to barely a whisper. “You both have traumatic pasts,” he says softly. “Maybe you two can help each other heal.”
I want to kill him, but he’s being so sweet. He’s really just looking out for his brother. And, I have to admit, I’m a lot more intrigued now that I know Rook doesn’t date and that he has some kind of traumatic past.
Wulf smiles when he sees he’s won me over. I sigh and glance at Rook to find him eyeing me just as curiously. “You don’t have to train me, if you don’t want to,” I say. “I’m sorry Wulf put you on the spot like this.” I step back and fold my arms across my chest. I give Wulf a stink-eye and add, “I had no idea he was so meddlesome.”
Every wolf within earshot cracks up laughing.
“That’s a werewolf trait, girl,” Maya calls to me. “We’re all that way. Better get used to it.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I mutter under my breath.
This time, only Rook laughs. I look at him, and he raises a brow at me. “I don’t mind training you. If you think you can handle hanging out here with us meddling wolves three times a week.”
“There’s nothing to meddle in—I truly don’t date—so as long as you keep your paws to yourself, then yes, thank you, I’d love to train with you.”
The crowd laughs again, and Rook grins. He holds his hand out to me. “Deal.” I give it a quick shake and laugh when his only thought is something about needing to kill his damned meddling brother.
“Great,” I say, and then force a smile at my rather large audience. “Well, as awesome as this visit has been, I need to get to work pretty soon. So I think it’s time I take my lone wolf back to the city.”